Grandpa's house (mini castle) was amazing. It was like being at Hogwarts! (Minus the moving staircases, but still, pretty cool). My room was up in the tower. A TOWER! Now, this was the Victorian Era life I had been dreaming of. Luckily, I had a bunch of clothes here that were much more comfortable than the ones at Papa's house. I checked, and none of the corsets were tight laced. The hoop skirts were made of whalebones instead of horsehair, so they were much lighter. And I had loads of free time! Stepmother gave me one etiquette lesson a day, and we had a fancy dinner together each night, but other than that, I was freeeeeeeeeeeee!

I spent each day exploring every inch of the castle. I found loads of guest rooms, ballrooms, fancy powder rooms, dining rooms, a morning room, gallery, and countless foyers. I knew for sure now I wasn't dreaming. This had all been too realistic, and had gone on way too long to be a dream. I had no idea how I was going to get back to my world, but I tried not to think about that. For now, I was going to just enjoy this life while it lasted. After Christmas, I would figure it out.

Today, I started searching for the library. Grandfather had a lot of work to do, going into town to plan for the Christmas ball and doing some sort of noble work (something to do with being a minister?). But he gave me a few clues to find a new room every day before he left. So far, I've found the kitchen, the sunroom (not sure what that was), and the grand ballroom. Today, I'm finding the LIBRARY! Based on the rest of the castle, I was hoping it would look like the one from Beauty and the Beast, AKA my dream library. I enlisted Christabel's help in finding it. Apparently, it was her first time at the castle as well. She had only been working for Clara Marie for one year. She was definitely my closest friend here. Laleh was my best friend, but she didn't always understand me. She didn't like daydreaming or reading. Christabel got it though. She was a bit of a worrier–and super polite–she insisted on calling me Miss. Maybe spending some time with her today would convince her to just call me Clara. I mean, obviously, I would prefer being called Noelle, but that wasn't really possible.

As soon as I finished breakfast, I opened the clue from Grandfather:

Past walls of art, through a tunnel of threads, down the spiral, your path ends.

I handed the paper to Christabel, and her brow furrowed.

"I apologize, Miss, but I have no idea where to go."

"Just call me Clara," I reminded her. "Do you remember any rooms with art?"

"Perhaps the gallery?"

"Let's start there!" I exclaimed, bouncing up from my seat. Library, here I come!

I never realized how many corridors there were in a castle. I couldn't find the gallery. Christabel and I wandered through what felt like dozens of rooms, growing more hopeless with each one. By the gazillionth room, I had almost given up hope on finding the library. Christabel sighed, sinking down into a chair. We were in some sort of room with glass and plants. I could see the grounds of the castle outside, and past that, a small forest. And there, a figure was walking...

"Christabel? Is that someone in the forest?" Christabel jumped up, peering out the glass. She went pale.

"Oh my! Who is it? There isn't supposed to be anyone there! What if it's a thief?" Christabel wrung her hands, pacing back and forth.

"Relax," I told her. "I'm sure it's just a gardener or something. Come on, let's go check!" I opened the small door that led outside and stepped into the snow. It was freezing, but I forced a smile.

"Come on!" I encouraged her. Christabel took a deep breath and followed me. We plowed our way toward the figure. When we got near him, I recognized who it was.

"Hey!" I yelled. "You're the guy who pushed me in the alleyway!" I spotted a second figure behind him.

"And...the guy selling wishes..." I trailed off.

"Yes, it is me," he said, bowing his grizzly head. "And as you can see, you have received your wish. I apologize that my great-grandson here was rather rough when opening the portal. I'm sure he didn't mean it." His great-grandson was about my age, with black hair and sharp features. They were both wearing odd red coats and hats with white fur on them.

"Did I really...time travel?" I asked them. Christabel turned to me in shock. Oops. Forgot she was there.

"Yes. You have traveled in time," the old man confirmed. "Your sister took your place."

"Sister?" I demanded. "What do you mean?"

"All will be revealed in time. It's part of the magic," the old man said, serene as ever.

"How do I get back? I can't stay here forever!" I exclaimed.

"Wasn't this your wish?" he asked. "To have such a life?"

"No! I mean, yes. But I can't leave my life! What about my mom, my family, my friends?"

"Well," he said, stroking his beard, "to get a wish revoked, you must complete a lesson instead. To learn why you wished for something you did not want."

"How do I do that?" I asked.

"You must realize what you need to change about yourself. The reasons you feel life is unsatisfactory," he said. "Once you have, my great-grandson or I will be summoned and open a portal for you."

"What about Clara Marie?" I asked. "She's in my world, isn't she?" The old man smiled.

"We cannot appear to her. I know that she is regretting her wish a bit as well, even if she does not realize it. But part of her lesson is learning to believe without seeing. To have that kind of belief and imagination. You do not have this problem. Appearing to her and explaining would cause her to fail. And if she fails...so do you."

I let this sink in.

"So, I stay here until both of us have learned?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we must leave. We'll return to help, but ultimately, it is up to you." His great-grandson began drawing symbols in the snow, and another portal opened up. Christabel, who had been quietly watching this whole time, squeaked in fear and ran back to the castle. Dangit. I'd have to explain this later. The old man jumped in the portal. As his great-grandson prepared to jump, he suddenly turned to me.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but you must complete this by midnight on Christmas Eve, or you will remain here forever. It was, after all, a Christmas wish." And with that, he disappeared into the portal.